A SOMALIAN runner who “trained with Mo Farah” and came to the UK as an asylum seeker has been charged with sexual assault.
Abdinasir Elmi, 25, appeared in court last month and pleaded not guilty.
He was living at a migrant hotel in Bournemouth, according to court documents.
It is not known when he arrived in the UK, but he has been training with Bournemouth Athletics Club since October 2024.
The two alleged incidents took place in April.
Abdinasir Elmi pleaded not guilty to one count of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault when he appeared in court.
Elmi spoke to confirm his pleas and required a Somali interpreter during the short hearing at Winchester Crown Court, Hants on October 9.
Prosecutor Oliver Hirsch and defence counsel Richard Tutt had some difficulty finding a trial date which worked for them both.
Judge Rufus Taylor said: “It’s a serious case and I would prefer continuity of counsel on both sides if at all possible.”
The judge confirmed that a pre-trial review will take place on January 9 2026, followed by the trial on February 9 2026.
According to a report from the Bournemouth Athletic Club from October, “Whilst he was in Somalia, AbdiNasir spent some time training with some of the world’s top athletes including Mo Farah and Bashir Abdi.
“He’s ran half marathons in 63 minutes and 64 minutes before would put him up there with the very best in the UK.”
The club did not respond to The Sun’s request to comment.
He holds the course record for the Bournemouth parkrun – having run it in 14:32 in May.
England Athletics confirmed they were investigating and said in a statement: “We can confirm that Abdinasir has been a registered athlete, and we are looking into the matter with a view to suspending his England Athletics membership.
“We cannot comment further on an ongoing investigation.”
